Kharkiv to Jakarta: Ukraine badminton duo shed light on home plight

Ukraine’s women's doubles badminton players Yelyzaveta Zharka (left) and Mariia Stoliarenko, who are in the country to take part in the Indonesia Open badminton tournament, posing with their national flag in Jakarta. In the smog of Indonesian capital Jakarta with the Istora Stadium as their backdrop, Ukraine's top badminton doubles team are not focused on their early exits in back-to-back world tour events, but on the Russian invasion of their homeland. - AFP

JAKARTA, June 19, 2022 (AFP): In the smog of Indonesia's capital Jakarta with the Istora Stadium as their backdrop, Ukraine's top badminton doubles team are not focused on their early exits from back-to-back events on the world tour, but on the Russian invasion of their homeland.

Yelyzaveta Zharka and Mariia Stoliarenko were the only Ukrainians to compete at the prestigious Indonesia Open, which concludes later Sunday -- one of only three Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 1000 top-ranked tournaments on the 2022 calendar.